To prevent garment staining as a result of occasional non-menstrual vaginal discharges, it is common practice to use a thin, disposable absorbent product known in the trade as "panty liner" which is fastened to the undergarment of the wearer to capture and retain the body exudate. Typically, a panty liner is constructed in the same fashion as a sanitary napkin. More specifically, it has a thin absorbent core confined into an envelope including a top, liquid-permeable layer and a bottom, liquid-impervious layer. To fasten the panty liner to the undergarment of the wearer, the liquid-impervious bottom layer is coated on selected areas with pressure-sensitive adhesive which is covered with a silicone-coated, peelable paper sheet protecting the adhesive while the panty liner is not in use. This form of construction yields an absorbent product which is efficient in providing the required protection against leakage and garment staining.
Panty liners are intended to be used much more frequently than sanitary napkins, sometimes on a daily basis, and for that reason, it is desirable to manufacture the product at the lowest possible cost. However, most of the currently marketed products require sophisticated and complex assembly equipment and techniques which makes the objective of a very low cost product difficult to achieve.